


Hulk Like Thor

by Tallestred



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Bruce & Hulk Interaction, Eventual Romance, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Personal Growth, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-07 04:36:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19202017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tallestred/pseuds/Tallestred
Summary: Hulk struggles to deal with his feelings for Thor whilst an exasperated Bruce, watching from the sidelines, begins to develop similar feelings. From Ragnarok to Post-Endgame this story is about Bruce and Hulk learning to work together as one, Hulk and Bruce's (primarily the latter's) growing relationship with Thor and just an all-around focus on healing, working through issues and having as much fun as possible.





	Hulk Like Thor

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I've never written a fan fiction online before so I dunno how this is gonna go. But yeah, I hope you enjoy what i've written here so far and I'll try to update soon if it goes down well.

Hulk is wide-awake, staring up at the red and white ceiling of his room. It's night-time, and usually, he'd be fast asleep by now, but there's someone else in his room, and that someone won't be quiet.

 At first, the mere fact that he couldn't sleep had gotten him all riled up inside. He'd had the strong impulse to roar his annoyance at Thor in one moment, then to lob a nearby object at him in the next,  but strangely, these feelings hadn't lasted long, and he'd been able to fight them. Now Hulk didn't mind.

 He's not sure why Thor was put in here, doesn't really care either, but it's strange hearing someone else when it's dark; it's different. Usually, everyone is away by now. Wherever it is they go Hulk doesn't know, or care, it's just wherever they go when they don't need Hulk, so why should he? But before, he liked it when they were gone; now he thinks it's alright when he's not alone…. Why does he care about having this friend all of a sudden? It's a thoroughly confusing, but not an all-around unpleasant feeling, that he thinks is starting to resurface from somewhere he'd buried it deeply long ago.

If the grunts and crackles are any indications Thor is still trying to rip off the obedience disk. It's stupid of him to try; Hulk knows that. They'd put one on him and no amount of grasping or clawing or smashing had made any difference; it stuck to him like it was part of his body.  But it wasn't part of his body and that made him angry, made him feel trapped and.... weak and even angrier. Maybe that's how Thor feels right now, he sounds pretty angry trying to get it off...only... Hulk is always angry about everything... so maybe he feels something else... what else though?...

He sits up, stretching out the initial ache in his arm muscles, rubs his face, then pushes himself to the end of his bed to get a better look at the little man.

Still sitting where he was before, struggling against the obedience disk just as Hulk had thought. He should be tired from Hulk winning today, should be resting— probably. That's what Hulk was doing even if he wasn't exactly sleeping because tonight he felt tired for the first time in a very long time. Even though Thor had, naturally, stood no chance against him, the fight had still been surprising. Yes, it was a bit of a challenge, which was new, but it was more than just that, it had reminded him of things and people he knew— people he hadn't stopped to think about since the Quinjet crash. Banner would have thought about them if he were here right now, fully here. It's something Hulk is sure of, because while Banner isn't here, he's here here, inside, right now, strong, like he's trying again.

Another irritated hiss escapes Thor as the disk gives him a particularly nasty shock. Hulk expects him to attempt it again, he's been doing the same thing for hours already so why not? But instead, he rubs at his neck, it's clearly very sore, then lets his arm drop to his lap in defeat.

"Thor sad"

Thor turns suddenly, fixing Hulk a scowl but only for a brief second before he looks away again.

"Shut up" he grumbles somewhat tiredly, gaze falling onto the gate in front of them.

Thor had said he wanted to get out— just like Hulk used to. Probably wants to go home, or to go find someone important, or not important, who knows? Knowing it's impossible to get what he wants though... must make him miserable. It might even make Hulk miserable if he had a home or a person to go to. But nobody likes Hulk, that is, outside of the arena— which is why he likes it. Although the angry girl may be an exception; she's a good one, she took off his disk.

It's silent now and Hulk doesn't like it, which is strange considering not long ago he'd had to suppress the urge to yell for the noise to stop.

Now he's going to do what he had fought off doing, only for the opposite reason.

"Thor sad!"  he bellows, stomping several inches across the smooth floor.

 Without a second thought, he shoves Thor lightly, and he's down in an instant. The shove proved more forceful than anticipated... but the god, unharmed, sits up in a huff and snaps.

"I'm not sad, I'm pissed off!"

Taken aback, Hulk can't help but groan in disappointment. Wrong again. He was right the first time…why is Hulk always wrong?

Before he has time to wallow in his mistake any longer Thor is suddenly up and about.

"I'm angry!"

He says, jaw tightly clenched as he kicks away something metallic with enough force to have it catapult off the wall and clatter to the ground behind him.

"I lost my father"

Swaying on his feet slightly as if ready to fight again, he faces Hulk with rage-filled eyes. 

"I lost my hammer"

It almost looks for a second like Thor expects a response when Hulk has no answer.

Hammer? How's that Hulk's problem? Why's Thor looking at him like he's the one who lost the hammer and his father. He didn't! Couldn't even move the stupid hammer.

A familiar pressure behind Hulk's eyes begins to grow so he screws up his face and grumbles. All Hulk wanted to do was talk and that seems like something Banner would prefer to do. Didn't people like Banner? People certainly weren't scared of him. But then again maybe that was down to his puny stature.

His body is tensing— he can feel it again — he doesn't want to fight— not now. Eventually, the sound of Thor becomes white noise, as Hulk tries to wrestle away the frustration. Now he's pacing around— trying to work out the tension in his muscles—murmuring and murmuring until he's interrupted, by a yell.

"You're not even listening!"

A punted shield follows in suit, nearly hitting Hulk in the leg. Now there's a dent on the floor.

"Don't kick stuff!"

Thor avoids the bowl he throws in reply, hopping out of the way briskly so it lands against the wall with a crash. Thor's brow furrows.

"You're being a...a really bad friend!"

The way he says it is in almost a struggle, as though his temper is consuming his every thought. Hulk knows how that feels because he's feeling the same right now, only he knows he feels it more than Thor because he's got more body to feel it with. Why doesn't Thor care at all how all this makes Hulk feel?

"You're bad friend!"

Any wise person would stop now, they'd take one look at Hulk, decide it's not worth it and back down. But no, that wasn't the case with Thor. He carries on, sounding more exasperated than angry now.

"You know what they call you?"

Hulk doesn't care. Doesn't want to hear it.

"NO!"

"They call you the stupid avenger!"

That does it. The bubbling anger is too much to bear now; it's like the volcano inside him has finally erupted— he can't help himself. So he seizes something, quick enough to miss exactly what the thing even is.

"You're tiny avenger!"

And launches it.

In haste Thor jumps to the side, narrowly dodging the shield that lodges itself into the metal wall behind him with a ringing crunch. Now there are two dents. Thor looks from the shield, his body still poised and ready to fight, then back to Hulk, gawking.

"What're you crazy?!"

Hulk sees no reason to deny it.

"Yes!"

Mace in hand he approaches Thor, not even certain of what he's doing... what he even wants to do… but the fire is dying.

"You know what?" a bitterness overcomes the god's words as they trail out into a pause "Earth does hate you."

And now it's gone, it's fizzled out…

It's not like Hulk didn't know already.

He lets the head of the mace slip off and onto the ground, then tosses away the handle.

Earth has never liked him, it's something so obvious that even Hulk gets it all on his own, he got it even when Thor had said otherwise, seeing right through his lies. Cause he wasn't ever wanted unless it was for fighting, so why would things be any different back there now? It's the same as it is here, people want him to fight, only instead of screaming people cheer... This place is good, he doesn't need earth...

Averting his eyes from Thor he storms back to the bed, fists tightly scrunched together, huffing out the remnants of his anger, those dying embers. The bed creaks under the impact of him aimlessly plopping himself down and he begins to sulk, staring at the floor.

Why do those words still sting if he doesn't care? It must be Banner who's hurting; it has to be because Hulk hates earth... just as much if not more than they hate him.

He's so preoccupied within his own brain that he hardly notices Thor's approach.That is until he feels the presence of another right beside him and his head instinctively snaps to the side.

For the second their eyes meet, immediate shame flushes through Hulk. That's something new. He can't let that happen again, so he just won't look at Thor again. A sombre quietness washes over the room as they sit, but guilt still lays in the pit of Hulk's stomach. He wishes he hadn't thrown the shield, he didn't really want to hurt Thor but sometimes he can’t help himself.

"I-I'm sorry… I said those things”

To Hulk’s surprise it’s Thor who breaks the silence. Without looking at the man the regret is obvious in his tone alone. It’s strange to be on the receiving end of an apology like this, not that Hulk finds himself apologising too often. Though in all fairness he doesn’t find himself talking too often to begin with. Apologies directed at him are typically in the form of desperate pleas from people who think they’ve offended him, but Thor isn’t afraid, that much is clear.

 “You're not the stupid avenger no-one calls you the stupid avenger"

That makes him feel better, not by much but it’s something. It’s nice to hear. Then there’s the guilt again. This wasn’t all Thor’s fault, most of it wasn’t, he ought to let him know that if he doesn’t know already.

"S'okay" 

"You just can't go around throwing shields at people, you could've killed me"

"I know, I'm sorry—  I just get so angry all the time!" He says trying to bite back the shame he fears showing through in his voice "Hulk always— always angry"

"We're the same you and I" Thor says, looking up at Hulk, an air of wisdom coating his words. A ghost of a smile flits across his face.

"Just a couple of hot-headed fools"

"Yeah, same…" Hulk murmurs.

That doesn't seem quite right, same emotions maybe, but Hulk lashes out, breaks things and creatures when he's not even trying to. Thor is needed and wanted by people and he's dangerous yes, but only when he wants to be…

 "Hulk like fire…Thor like water"

Thor makes a sort of disapproving noise, though there's a hint of vague amusement beneath it too.

"Well, uh, we're kind of both like fire"

Maybe. People still need the warmth of fires, yes, but with the fires they can rely on, the fires that don't wreak havoc, nobody wants that sort of fire, an all-consuming fire, everybody fears that sort of fire and they ought to. 

"But Hulk like real fire"

He finds he's saying it more to himself than Thor. That happens sometimes, since he's mostly on his own now. Banner had been so quiet since Hulk got here Hulk sometimes forgets he's still in here somewhere, though recently he’s been more aware of the human’s presence than usual. 

"Hulk like—raging fire—Thor like smouldering fire" 

Surprisingly, the man in question chuckles at this and the air feels much lighter. 

After a while, he shifts to face Hulk.

"Hulk I need you to do something for me" 

"What"

"I need you to help me escape"

"Thor should try again" 

"You know I’ll give it to you this once, you're smarter than you look, but I’m not falling for that again" 

Hulk can feel a grin coming on as he remembers.

"Thor fell"

"Very funny" Thor grumbles, though it's obvious he's not really annoyed. "Very mature"

There's a pause.

"You know that woman- the one you sparred with yesterday?"

"Angry girl?"

"Yeah yeah, her, I think, I mean she was pretty dismissive with me, I don’t know if I'd call that angry exactly bu-" 

For fun, Hulk lets out an exaggerated yawn. As much as he doesn't really mind the god's ramblings it's fun to test his luck. 

"Hulk tired"

Thor's look of mild perturbance quickly morphs into that of smug indifference. 

"Ah I see" he begins nonchalantly "I mean it's understandable, I did completely wipe the floor with you earlier"

"Hulk won"

"Hulk's got someone out there who wanted him to win" Thor replies coolly. 

Hulk grunts back in annoyance. He would have won, stupid obedience-disk or not.

"And besides" Thor continues "You may be tired but I'm not at all, I think that attests to who the real winner should’ve been"

"Hulk always tired" Hulk says with an accompanying yawn.

It's a lie of course; he's rarely if ever tired. He just hates the idea of appearing weak in somebody else's eyes. So if he's 'always tired' Thor didn't make him tired which means Thor didn't nearly beat him, which is true of course.

Thor rolls his eyes.

"Listen, tomorrow, all you've got to do is keep this angry girl in the room for as long as it takes for me to talk to her, think you can do that for me?"

"Hulk can do anything"

"Ehh almost anything, I thought we'd been through this... but fine, yes, that's good, great" 

He seems to stare off for a moment, until he shifts to pat Hulks bicep in a cordial manner

"Thank you" he says not looking up, but it sounds earnest.

Hearing that makes Hulk feel... weird. How's he meant to respond to this sort of thing? he’s not sure, not too sure at all. Does he return the gesture? He's patting Thor's back before he can really think about it much further, and the god doesn't fall this time. Instead he chuckles and Hulk smiles.


End file.
